A typical prior art vehicle requires a plurality of components to form and define the front compartment of the vehicle. For instance, a vehicle body typically includes a hood and two fenders. The hood and two fenders are mounted to various vehicle frame members, such as upper rails, a cowl bar and an upper tie bar. A hood is generally formed from an outer panel and one or more inner panels to provide additional structural support. Each of these components requires a number of separate assembly and welding or other connecting processes to connect to the vehicle.
A vehicle bulkhead may be a plurality of separate pieces or a unitary, cast bulkhead. As used herein, “bulkhead” refers to a generally upright partition partially or completely separating the front compartment from the passenger compartment. Typically, a cowl (also commonly referred to as a cowl bar) is a separate component from the bulkhead. As used herein, “cowl” refers to the vehicle panel or structure generally located between the hood and the windshield of a vehicle and transversely spanning the vehicle. Cowls are often designed to support windshield wipers. Cowls may or may not be designed to bear transverse loads acting upon the vehicle; a separate vehicle crossbeam extending across the front compartment may be required for this purpose. Additionally, a separate panel-like component is generally provided to form an air intake plenum at the front compartment of the vehicle.